Three teams have already made their way to the playoffs of the Indian Super League this season. Will the fourth one be Chennaiyin FC? That remains the question at the moment as the Super Machans take on Mumbai City FC, at the Marina Arena, in the 51st league game of the season, on Tuesday.
Marco Materazzi's side have the biggest chance of making it to the semis if they managed to garner two-straight wins in their last two games. They are currently on 16 points. Mumbai City FC, meanwhile, have no chance whatsoever of making it to the next stage.
Nicolas Anelka's side not only has to win their remaining two games this season but also has to be dependent on the result of other teams to make it to the playoffs. They are currently on 13 points.
Chennaiyin FC look the better side on paper by a long way as they have not only come to the game at the back of two-straight home wins but also have a great defensive record. They have conceded just once. This will definitely give the much-revered Mumbai City FC attack featuring Sunil Chhetri, Sony Norde, Anelka and Frederic Piquionne much to think about.
"Our guys did well in creating chances [after winning against Kerala and Delhi]. And now that they've learned a lesson, they'll go for the third chance [against Mumbai too]. In the end, it's all up to the players. I can help them on the outside but on the field, it's all them," Materazzi said in the pre-match presser.
The visitors meanwhile have lost control of their season completely as they have been unable to get a win in as many as six previous games. Anelka looks completely disappointed with the showing, and he has no hopes whatsoever of having any real chance of Mumbai making it to the semis.
"Let's see where we finish. We have two games. We thought we will do better. However, you need luck in football which we don't have and every time we are suffering. When you don't have luck, you need to work harder. I have told this to everyone. Hard work is the only short cut to success," Mumbai City FC goalkeeper and experience India custodian Subrata Paul told Goal.
Chennaiyin FC won 2-0 against Mumbai City FC in the first leg encounter in October this year.
Where to watch the game
The second leg tie between between Chennaiyin FC and Mumbai City FC is scheduled to kick-off at 7 pm IST (2:30 pm BST, 9:30 am ET).
Viewers in India can catch the game on Star Sports 2, Star Sports HD2, Star Sports 3, Star Sports HD3, Star Utsav, Star Gold (both Hindi), Asianet Movies (Malayalam), Jaya Max (Tamil), Suvarna TV (Kannada) and Jalsha Movies (Bengali). The live streaming is available on Starsports.com and Hotstar.
Viewers in the UK, South East Asia, Singapore, and Hong Kong can catch the game onStar Gold.
Viewers in Canada can watch the game on CBN and ATN.
Viewers in the US and Australia can tune in to Fox Sports. The live streaming is available on Foxsoccer2Go and Foxtel.
Eurosport remains the destination for the viewers in Europe. The live streaming is available on Eurosport Player.
Audience in the Middle East and North Africa can also catch the ISL game on OSN, with live streaming option on OSN Play.
